April 27, 1999 -- The University of Wyoming is offering a new field course in the Evanston area May 17-21, to provide a "hands-on" understanding of Wyoming water law.

The keynote speaker for the course, State Engineer Jeff Fassett, will give a free public talk on Wyoming water law and the Bear River at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 18.

The course is intended to give students, professionals and the general public a practical, on-the-ground look at how water law is administered in Wyoming, and an insider's view of legal, policy and environmental issues in water allocation and river basin development.

Course participants will get a front-row seat on Wyoming's new water planning process - approved by the 1999 Legislature - which has made the Bear River its pilot program.

The full course is a week long, but anyone interested can sign up for one, two or more days. The course is offered by UW's School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Speaker are Sue Lowry, policy director for the State Engineer's Office; Reed Gardner, with the Bear River Water Quality Task Force; Jade Henderson, superintendent of Water Division IV of the State Engineer's Office; Tom Annear, instream flow officer with the Game and Fish Department; and Bruce Brinkman, instream flow officer with the Wyoming Water Development Commission.

The first two days and the last day of the course (May 17-18 and May 21) will be in Evanston, in the Beeman-Cashin Building in Depot Square; on Wednesday and Thursday, May 19-20, the course will move to Cokeville for discussion and field visits.

Undergraduate and graduate credit, as well as continuing education credit for lawyers and other professionals, is available. Deadline for registration is May 5. For more information, copies of the brochure are available at Bear River Books, 1008 Main St., and the Lifelong Learning Center, 336 Summit St. in Evanston, and at the State Engineer's Office, Town Hall, Cokeville. Or call University of Wyoming Conferences and Institutes, 1-800-448-7801, ext. 2.